Covent Garden Cub Series

Whispers and secrets are no match for love... Henry Flynn, the new Lord Chesham, still blames himself for the disappearance of his younger brother when they were children. That incident destroyed his family, and now he's on a path of self-destruction that no one can interrupt...

Lady Emma Talbot can't stand watching the man she secretly loves destroy himself little by little. She's determined to show him that no one holds him culpable, before it's too late. But Emma doesn't know what really happened to Flynn on that fateful day long ago, so what chance does she have of saving him from himself?

This novella introduces a new series. Emma has loved Flynn forever. Her brother will do whatever it takes to keep them apart, which is okay with Flynn as he want nothing to do with her. So how come he can't take his eyes off her and she is everywhere he goes? When Flynn learns that his long lost brother has been found, both of them are swept up in the intrigue and mystery. I liked both characters and look forward to this series.

A master thief...
Marlowe runs with the Covent Garden Cubs, a gang of thieves living in the slums of Seven Dials. It's a fierce life, and Marlowe has a hard outer shell. But when she's alone, she allows herself to remember a forbidden time and name.

A lord suffering from ennui...
Maxwell, Lord Dane, is bored with the same balls, the same debutantes, and the same demands from his mother. When an investigator locates the lost daughter of the Marquess of Lyndon, Dane is intrigued. He agrees to introduce the girl to Society and assist in tutoring her in etiquette, but the lady is a less than agreeable pupil.

Descent into a criminal underworld...
Marlowe knows she'll never escape the Covent Garden Cubs. She's not safe, even among the diamonds and silks gracing the new King's ballroom. Satin, the gang's leader, plans a major racket and needs Marlowe's talents to succeed. When Dane stands in Satin's way, the earl enters a world of danger and violence, where the student has become the teacher and love is the greatest danger of all.

Both characters were difficult to like at first, but the fun was in watching them each change. Marlowe decides to stay with Maxwell's family as a means to get a break from Satin. She is street-smart, savvy and her introduction to society is hilarious. Lord Dane is pompous, ridiculously snobbish, but it put in his place by Marlowe. A good start to the series.  I hope Gideon gets a story.

2014 Favorites and Yearly Wrap-Up

The best thing of 2014 was the arrival of our first grandchild Cole in June. Pictured with Uncle Caleb and Uncle James.

 

I was very pleasantly surprised that I surpassed my reading goal by 50+ books.

I started the year with The Splendor Falls by Susanna Kearsley and ended the year with Burying Water by K.A. Tucker (audio)

Reading Stats:
Total for 2014 - 289
Fiction -  288
Non Fiction - 1
Audio - 54
Young Adult - 46
Male Authors - 39
Female Authors -  250
New to Me Authors -  70
Debut Authors - 20

Multiple Books By Same Author:
Grace Burrowes - 6
Ilona Andrews  - 11
Jessica Sorensen - 11
Susan Mallery - 6


My favorites for 2014:

It is very hard to choose a favorite from over 285 books.  Instead I choose a few categories and then chose a few favorites.

Favorite Audio- Young Adult:


Code Name Verity
FanGirl
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Favorite Audio - Adult:


Mercy Snow
Maybe Someday
Orphan Train

Favorite Narrators:

Sebastian York (aka guilty pleasures):
,

Finty Williams
The Girl With All The Gifts


Susan Duerden (can't believe I only listened to one)
Three Weeks With Lady X

.
Favorite Adult Fiction:




Favorite YA/NA Fiction:




Favorite Debut Authors:


Erin Lindsay McCabe
Nicholas Butler
James Scott
Ariel Lawhon
Matthew Thomas

Favorite New To Me Authors:


Karin Slaughter - Cop Town
Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites (Kate and Curran series)
Lynne Branard - The Art of Arranging Flowers
Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven

Where I read last year: Africa (2),  Alabama, Alaska (2), Amsterdam, Arizona (3), Atlanta (13), Australia (3), Belize, Boston (2), California (24), Canada (6), Caribbean, Charleston, Chicago (11), Colorado, Connecticut (3), Denmark, Denver, England (25), Florida(6), France (3), Germany,  Georgia (2), Hong Kong, Houston, Idaho (2), Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ireland, Istanbul, Italy (2), Kansas, Kentucky (2), Key West, Las Vegas, (7), London (5), Los Angeles (4),  Maine (5), Malaysia, Maryland, Massachusetts (7), Mexico, Michigan  (7), Minnesota (3), Mississippi (2), Missouri, Montana (5), Nantucket (5), Nashville, Nebraska, New England, New Hampshire, New Jersery (3), New Mexico (2), New Orleans (2), New York (28), Nevada (2), North Carolina (5), Ohio (5), Oregon (5), Pennsylvania (6), Rhode Island (2), San Francisco (3), Savannah, Scotland (6), Seattle (8), Shanghai, South Carolina (2), St. Vincents, Tennessee (2), Texas (7), Tibet, Vermont, Virginia (2), Washington (8), Washington DC (7), West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming (5)

Goodbye '14 - Hello '15!

That's  a wrap folks!

December Reading Wrap-up

2014 has come to an end.  My reading for the year was exceptional much to my surprise. Every month my wrap-up contained a picture of something that pertained to that month.  Not sure what I have planned for 2015's wrap-ups.


•Total Read: 25

•Adult: 20
•YA: 5
•Audios:5
•Abandonded: 0
•New to me authors: 6
•Debut authors: 2


•YTD - 288

•Favorite Book(s) of the Month: We Are Not Ourselves, Station Eleven, I'll Give You The Sun

Where I've Read This Month: California (2), Chicago, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan (2), Nantucket, New Jersey,  New York (3), Oregon (2),  Savannah, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, Canada, Caribbean, England (2), London (2),

Titles Read:
A Kiss For Luck by Grace Burrowes

Beetle Boy by Margaret Willey

Bonfire Night by Deanna Raybourn

Burn by JP and Michael Ledwidge  (audio)

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker (audio)

Earls Just Want To Have Fun by Shana Galen

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Invincible by Diana Palmer (audio)

Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis  (audio)

One Kick by Chelsea Cain

Red At Night by Katie McGarry

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Lost Island by Preston and Child (audio)

The Marriage Pact by Linda Lael Miller

The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich

Trust Me I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer

Viscount of Vice by Shana Galen

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

What Happens At Christmas by Victoria Alexander

Whisper of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

You Should Have Know by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Yours For Christmas by Susan Mallery

Thank You Penguin Random House

Thank you to Penguin Random House for this wonderful box of books.

I entered the Random House's "Cozy Reads with your Favorite Authors" sweepstakes, and was one of eight winners of these ten books!  They arrived a couple of days before Christmas.  I decided to give a couple of them as gifts so I had to wait to share this surprise!

Tuesday Intro

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea every Tuesday. To participate share the opening paragraph or two of a book you've decided to read based on that paragraph. Please feel free to join in, First Chapter~First Paragraph~Tuesday Intros.

Judy Carrier eyed her reflection in the shiny elevator doors, wondering when mirrors stopped being her friend. Her cropped yellow-blond hair stuck out like demented sun rays, and her pink and blue Oilily sweater and jeans clashed with her bright red clogs. Worst of all was her expression, easy to read on a face as flat as an artist's palette, with troubled blue eyes set wide over a small nose and thin lips pressed unhappily together. Judy tried to shake off her bad mood when the elevator halted and the doors slid open with a ping, Rosato & Dinunzio, LLC, read the shiny brass plaque, and she crossed the reception area, empty of clients on a Saturday morning. The office was quiet, but Judy knew she wouldn't be the only one in, because lawyers regarded weekends as a chance to work uninterrupted, which was their version of relaxing.

Betrayed by Lisa Scottoline

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas